Synopsis

Participants work individually, thinking about three teams and the behaviors of desirable teammates and undesirable teammates. Later, they work with a partner (and still later, in teams) to prepare a list of dos and don'ts for being a desirable teammate.

Purpose

To identify behaviors and characteristics of team members who make desirable teammates.

Participants

Minimum: 6

Maximum: 50

Best: 15 to 30

Time

20 to 45 minutes

Supplies

Countdown timer

Whistle

Sheets of flip chart paper

Felt-tipped markers

Masking tape

Flow

Ask the participants to select three teams. Tell the participants that they are going to undertake a thought experiment. Ask each participant to think of three teams to which they belong (or would like to belong). Encourage the participants to make sure that these teams are as different as possible from each other.

Think about three desirable teammates. Ask the participants to identify the positive behaviors of desirable teammates in each of these teams. Instruct the participants to work individually, think of a desirable team member, and respond to this question:

What behaviors and characteristics of this team member make him or her a desirable teammate?

Announce a 3-minute time limit for this activity.

Think about three undesirable teammates. Ask the participants to identify the negative behaviors of undesirable teammates in each of these teams. Instruct the participants to work individually, think of an undesirable team member, and respond to this question:

What behaviors and characteristics of this team member make him or her an undesirable teammate?

Announce a 3-minute time limit for this activity.

Distribute playing cards. Give a random playing card to each participant. Make sure to distribute equal numbers of black and red cards. (If you have an odd number of participants, you will end up with one extra person who has either a red or a black card.)

Pair up with a partner. Ask the participants to pair up with someone who has a card of the different color. If one participant is left over, ask him or her to pair up with you.

Discuss positive and negative teammate factors with the partner. Ask the participants to share the positive behaviors and characteristics they had identified in the first thought experiment. Ask them to also discuss the negative behaviors and characteristics. Announce a 3-minute time limit for this activity.

Form a team. Blow a whistle at the end of 3 minutes. Ask the participants to say “Goodbye” to their partners and to form a team of three to five people who have playing cards of the same color (red or black).

Prepare a checklist. Distribute a sheet of flip-chart paper and a felt-tipped marker to each team. Instruct the team members to share their ideas and to prepare a list of do's and don'ts for a team member to become a desirable teammate. Announce a 5-minute time limit for this activity.

Review lists from other teams. Blow the whistle at the end of 5 minutes. Ask the teams to attach their posters on the wall with pieces of masking tape. Invite the participants to review the posters from the other teams to discover common items and unique ones. Announce a 3-minute time limit.

Debriefing

Discuss the items from the posters. At the end of 3 minutes, blow the whistle and assemble the participants for a debriefing discussion. Conduct this discussion by asking questions similar to these:

Which suggestions appeared in the most posters?

Which suggestions were unique to a single poster?

Which suggestions do team members most frequently neglect?

Which suggestions would significantly improve your desirability as a teammate?